Pulp extracellular matrix

Collagen fibrils and non-collagenous extracellular matrix components may be extracted from the dental pulp. Differences appear between the coronal and radicular pulp after mechanical preparation. Type I, III, V, and IV collagens have been identified. Other structural proteins play a role in the dental pulp, namely, the phosphorylated proteins of the small integrin-binding ligand N-linked glycoprotein family (SIBLING), implicated in pulp mineralization as promotor or inhibitor, and in dentinogenesis imperfecta. Non-phosphorylated ECM proteins were also identified in pulp tissue. Glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans act as tissue organizers. They influence cell growth and maturation. A series of molecules are influent as transcription or growth factors. They are acting as proteolytic enzymes including collagenases and other proteases.